Y&R Buenos Aires Secretly Films Olympic Spot on Falkland Islands

Creativity Pick of the Day

For Argentina, having the Olympics take place in London this year is a matter of national pride -- and not just in a sports context.

The Falkland Islands, which are officially a British overseas territory but have been claimed by the Argentine government for years, are the setting for a controversial new spot by Y&R Buenos Aires.

The WPP-owned agency and the Argentine president's office sent Fernando Zylberberg, an Argentine athlete, to train on the Islands for a week without anyone noticing and filmed everything to create the commercial. The ad ends with the tagline: "To compete on English ground, we train on Argentine ground."

The stunt has generated plenty of controversy, with WPP chief Sir Martin Sorrell saying he was "appalled and embarrassed" by the work. In a statement, Y&R said it strongly condemns the work that its Argentine agency has done, and has asked the government there to pull the spot. "While we don't believe it was ever the intention of the ad's creators to desecrate a war memorial, they behaved in a manner that is unacceptable to our company," the statement said.